They could take all the available Fort Washington Way caps. If Fourth and Race is really being "re-thunk" they could have that too. 

The Pentagon is 6.5 million feet:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pentagon

 

 

THE sycamore lots are also quite large and could House quite large office buildings but I don't know how I feel about ruining the feet of otr with implementing 40 story office buildings...

They should remove the height restrictions on buildings at The Banks. The 180 Walnut office building is only ~235k, but if the building could go taller (currently planned for 9 stories) it could support more sq footage. The floor plate is ~25k. Amazon could build a 20 story tower which would be a signature to the skyline, have incredible views, and have 500,000 sq ft of office space.

 

http://www.180walnut.com/docs/180WalnutTheBanks_brochure.pdf

Lots of really stupid postings on the Enquirer's facebook group.  Someone suggested selling them Lunken Airport for "$2 million", somehow completely unaware that the Prime Air Hub exists at CVG. 

 

I just have this sense that a good chunk of the U.S. population has no idea how companies and logistics work.  Like absolutely no idea. 

WHile I think we would be a long shot for this, the more I think about it, we would be a good location for Amazon talent wise. The one thing Cincy has for it is that it is probably one of the top consumer product cities in the world. With P&G and Kroger both HQ'd here there is a ton of talent at those too companies that would matriculate into the marketplace.  Given that Amazon just bought WHole Foods, there is a ton of talent here with grocery experience; they want to grow their consumer product reach, so why not pull talent from where the top global consumer product company is located?? Market research and analytics? 84.51, Dunhummby, Neilsen are all huge players with major operations and divisions based here.

While Cincy may lack the software engineers and programmers that Silcon Valley or other "tech" cities may have, it is misguided to think Amazon will require that in their talent pool. Amazon is not a tech company like Google or Facebook is but rather, Amazon is ultimately a consumer products distributor. They rely on tech, but they are in the consumer product business. Hence being in a consumer product city would be a potential advantage to them.

 

Just my 2 cents

^ And on top of that, they opened a big data center near Columbus a few months ago. So Cincy would be close to both their air hub and a data center. Of course you could say the same about Columbus too.

Things that make you go "hmm." Big time echoes of when they landed the GE Operations center:

 

http://www.msn.com/en-us/money/news/cincinnati-mayor-well-be-very-agressive-with-tax-incentives-to-get-amazon/vi-AArvN7M?ocid=st

 

Of course Cranley would never mention the S-word (streetcar) but I suppose it will be here when they get here!

As much as I dislike Cranley, that was a very well done interview by him on relatively short notice.

 

If cranely manages to get Amazon hq here I will forgive him for everything.

 

An Amazon hq here in the urban core can literally transform our city at a pace never seen before.

 

Hotels, new convention centers, possible new public transport options, new residential towers, etc

 

Again, pie in the sky, but Cincinnati would literally have the potential of Toronto growth circa early 70s.

Here is how it could work at the Banks if we work together with Covington and the State of Kentucky:

 

Slight job reductions at the GE office at The Banks... exact number of jobs cut not specified:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2017/10/06/ge-cuts-jobs-at-the-banks.html

Photos of the new AC Hotel... the views from the rooftop "Upper Deck" are very nice:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2017/10/27/see-inside-the-35-million-ac-hotel-at-the-banks.html

 

 

 

 

Photos of the new AC Hotel... the views from the rooftop "Upper Deck" are very nice:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2017/10/27/see-inside-the-35-million-ac-hotel-at-the-banks.html

The rooftop and the interiors are nice. The exterior is just bad, especially the corner condition with the massive television wall. The extruded metal trim at the top and bottom of the building too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AC Hotel opens at the Banks

 

171 Room hotel officially opened October 27, 2017.

 

See Enquirer Photo Gallery:  https://www.cincinnati.com/picture-gallery/money/2017/10/27/ac-hotel-opens-at-the-banks/107060436/

Photos of the new AC Hotel... the views from the rooftop "Upper Deck" are very nice:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2017/10/27/see-inside-the-35-million-ac-hotel-at-the-banks.html

 

Room 420 is called "The Man Cave," has a large social gathering space, and two Queen beds? Hmm.....

 

 

It needs the space for 6-foot bongs

Toby Kieth's back in the news:

https://www.cincinnati.com/story/money/2017/11/01/ex-mobster-left-trail-tears-toby-keiths-love-bar-grill-restaurant-banks/794081001/

 

:o

 

 

 

Ex-mobster left trail of tears at Toby Keith's I Love This Bar & Grill restaurant at The Banks

 

 

Former business associates were gobsmacked to learn the owner of Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar and Grill at The Banks was a former Mafia soldier who started the restaurant after joining the Federal Witness Protection Program.

 

 

"Come on,'' said an astonished Mark Fallon, senior vice president of real estate for Jeffrey R. Anderson Real Estate Inc., which signed Toby Keith's as one of the first tenants at The Banks. "That's a new one on me. In 23 years of doing this, I've never heard that one before.''

 

 

Frank Capri, the man behind the restaurant chain, was a former soldier in New York's Lucchese Crime Family who was released from prison in 1999 after agreeing to testify against fellow mobsters, according to a years-long investigation by The Arizona Republic. His real name was Frank Gioia Jr.

 

 

Cont or Read the full series, watch mini-documentaries and find an interactive map of Toby Keith restaurants across the U.S. at azcentral.com.

:-X ??? ???

Toby Kieth's back in the news:

https://www.cincinnati.com/story/money/2017/11/01/ex-mobster-left-trail-tears-toby-keiths-love-bar-grill-restaurant-banks/794081001/

 

A true mobster would have burned the business down when it failed, claim the insurance check and move on...

And yet political flyers this year are still talking about the failure of Mahogany's...

The Right Wing is NOT going to say anything negative about Toby Keith or Nu-Country in general ever.

And someone said on this thread I believe that the creditworthiness of these guys was better, you know they could have researched the mob background.  This really should have gotten more attention than Mahogany's it was a complete scam.

And yet political flyers this year are still talking about the failure of Mahogany's...

 

The two situations really aren't comparable. As I recall it, the Banks got a ~ $2.75 million loan from the city to help pay for retail tenants, some of which presumably went to Toby Keith's, but that was all paid back by the developer by 2013. The restaurant failed, ultimately, and I think left behind a small amount of unpaid sales tax, but it really didn't cost the taxpayer much - the biggest losers were the developer and employees. Liz Rogers, on the other hand, got a $600,000 grant and a $300,000 loan. The city ultimately excused $200,000 of that loan, and will (hopefully, some day) recover $100,000 of the nearly $1 million they wasted. So far as I know, this type of handout quickly turning into a total failure is pretty unique. It reminds me of the LaShawn Pettus-Brown snafu, another huge waste of tax dollars that I think Cranley was heavily involved in.

Ensemble Health Partners to build 1,100 employee regional HQ

 

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2017/12/04/firm-to-build-massive-regional-hq-in-cincinnati.html

 

Seems like it would be a great fit for the open office pad on Walnut. The company's current presence is up in Deerfield Township, but if they're primarily building this HQ to work with Mercy, a location closer into the city would make sense.

Would be great if they could get it on Walnut.  I wonder what the average salary would be (I didn't think the article mentioned on quick skim), but my guess is to land on the Banks they would want the average salary to be closer to what GE has to make it work for their employees ($75k per year).  My guess is it will probably land in the new MLK corridor.

what about the Oakley site?

Yeah I think this is what Cranley was referring to as going to the Oakley site

^Yes that could be the spot too no doubt, I forgot to mention it, I'm sure it depends on if FC goes to Oakley or West End.  Hopefully Cranley meant a different company than this which means adding more jobs!  ;D

We don't have a specific Paul Brown Stadium thread, so...

 

 

Get ready for another lease dispute between Hamilton County and the Bengals

 

Hamilton County has no intention of fulfilling a provision in its lease with the Cincinnati Bengals for Paul Brown Stadium to provide $2.67 million in stadium expenses, Hamilton County Commissioner Todd Portune said Monday.

 

The lease calls for the game-day reimbursements to increase by 5 percent annually through 2026, the last year the lease is in effect. The Bengals have two five-year extensions the team can exercise, extending the lease through 2036. The county would not pay game-day expenses if the lease is extended. Under the provision, the county would owe the team nearly $30 million over the final nine years of the lease.

Entertainment venue at the Banks closes its doors

 

Howl at the Moon and Splitsville Luxury Lanes’ last day of operation at the Banks was Dec. 31. The two concepts had leased 16,000 square feet of space that used to be home to Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar and Grill. They opened in August 2016.

not surprising. Put a Giordano's there and it will do amazing business.

???

I was there a couple times, including it's last night on new year's eve.  It wasn't really a great use of that space. 

That whole side of the street is vacant in both Phase I and II. Speaks to how horrible the highway facing side is for pedestrian activity.

That whole side of the street is vacant in both Phase I and II. Speaks to how horrible the highway facing side is for pedestrian activity.

 

Totally agree. There has been  talks about capping FWW, but without traffic calming measures, especially street parking on both sides, that side of the Banks will continue to be inhospitable.

It would need a bigger concentration of businesses on that side to work. Even then I don't see much working out there unless there is a Reds or Bengals or FC shop at that location. Even with the Caps on FWW it still creates a vast amount of space between 2nd and 3rd that is not developed and is parkland. It does not do much to connect with other entertainment and food establishments.

Well, the caps would hopefully NOT be park land. They're able to support 4-5 story buildings. Many of the more recent plans showed buildings on 3 of the blocks with a park only on the one north of the Freedom Center. Which I think is a decent compromise. I personally think 0 of them should be park since there's plenty at Smale, but if it became more of a square than actual greenspace I think it would offer something different.

 

But it would still need to be paired with a road diet. Retail space doesn't work on major roads like 2nd Street. It's just not a comfortable environment.

^A square or pedestrian plaza like that would be good during Oktoberfest and Taste. Totally agree about the road diet.

The right concept could work there. It has to be a destination location instead of a neighborhood location. People seek a specific reason to go to that block vs one of the other establishments on the inside of the Banks.

That whole side of the street is vacant in both Phase I and II. Speaks to how horrible the highway facing side is for pedestrian activity.

 

And the Freedom Center doesn't help activate 2nd Street either, which is too bad. With Crave and Splitsville closed, there is now nothing open facing 2nd St. As it is now, it's just a very unpleasant street to walk along with cars driving VERY fast and the sidewalks feel like oceans of uninterrupted concrete.

Talk about road diet aside, theres basic things that could be done to improve “walkablilty.” Take the intersection of Second and Race for example. There’s only crosswalks on three sides. And the side that’s missing a crosswalk (the east side of Second) is the side with buildings actually there along the street!

 

I was surprised about this closure because from what I saw it seemed to be doing well, but maybe having such a space was difficult on weekday nights when there were no crowds at the Banks. This should be a lesson if we start hearing a new soccer stadium will help “spur development” in whatever area it’s located.

I was surprised how quickly this venue closed as well as it seemed like it was much more competently managed than Toby's, but overcoming the fixed cost of a 16,000 square foot lease would not be easy in a seasonal entertainment area. Hopefully this gets turned into two or three smaller spaces like what was done with Wine Guy.

Talk about road diet aside, theres basic things that could be done to improve walkablilty. Take the intersection of Second and Race for example. Theres only crosswalks on three sides. And the side thats missing a crosswalk (the east side of Second) is the side with buildings actually there along the street!

 

I was surprised about this closure because from what I saw it seemed to be doing well, but maybe having such a space was difficult on weekday nights when there were no crowds at the Banks. This should be a lesson if we start hearing a new soccer stadium will help spur development in whatever area its located.

 

I remember going to the Howl at the Moon when it was at Covington Landing years ago. They were only open Wed-Sun and outside of Friday and Saturday the crowds were sparse. It was such a high rent district for them with a ton of overhead that probably hurt things. At least when it was at Cov Landing, their parent company essentially owned the building it was in, which would have helped.

It is a shame because I loved the concept, and it was fun after games and such. I could see it working if there was a better arena down there too. Otherwise, I could see the concept working in the Fountain Sq area or somewhere with slightly lower rents.

I was surprised how quickly this venue closed as well as it seemed like it was much more competently managed than Toby's, but overcoming the fixed cost of a 16,000 square foot lease would not be easy in a seasonal entertainment area. Hopefully this gets turned into two or three smaller spaces like what was done with Wine Guy.

This.  That space is way too big and needs to be made into multiple smaller spaces. 

The original plan for The Banks envisioned a grocery store in that space. It would be perfect for a Trader Joe's-like store. However we definitely don't have the residential population in the urban core to support the new Kroger and a grocery store at The Banks.

The average Trader Joes is between 10-15k square feet. This space is what, 16k?

I get the impression that many downtown residents shop at the Kroger in Newport, so I think putting a grocery store at The Banks would be fine.  People from Covington would probably shop there as well.  It could even jumpstart development on the remaining phases of The Banks.  309 Vine will provide a sizeable residential boost to the area, too. 

Apparently, the idea of building a new indoor/outdoor music venue at The Banks is getting closer to reality. Except... I'm not really sure I would say it's "at The Banks". The site that they intend to use is southwest of Paul Brown Stadium, replacing Lot E and Hilltop Ready Mixed Concrete. I have less of an issue with it being located there as opposed to The Banks proper.

 

The only public dollars involved in this deal would be for the construction of the Phase IIID parking garage (I'm not sure which block that is).